The Love I Had To Lose And The One I Gained
by MetallicBlueFrog
Summary: A/N: I'm sorry but this story is on hold. I'm not discontinuing it, but I need some time to get back into the anime world from my K-pop people, so please wait patiently for updates. Gomen! *bows*
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Yo peoples! So this is mah story. Hope ya like it! ^-^

R&R please!

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Tohru and Kyo

(a Fruits Basket fanfic)

Chapter 1

It's never quite the same when your best friend and supposed enemy fall in love with each other. I've always hated _him_, but I've always loved _her_. My name is Yuki Sohma and this is my story.

It all started the week before graduation. I was happily sitting in the dining room with Tohru when Kyo and Kagura came barging in. I guess Kagura wanted him to do something and he refused, once again.

"Shut up! I'm not going out with you, so stop following me around!" My idiot cousin yelled.

"Oh, but Kyo! We have to! Couples are supposed to go out on dates!" Kagura whined.

"So what?! We're not a couple!"

"Hmph! Kyo, you're no fun!"

"Yeah, well, ya shoulda thought of that before you threatened to kill me if I didn't marry you!"

"Kyo! How can you say that?" Kagura gasped. She looked at him for a minute and sighed. "I see. I'll give you some time, then," she said softly with a smile and left.

Tohru and I- who had been watching the whole thing- looked after her, and then looked at Kyo.

"Um, Kyo…? Shouldn't you go after her and apologize?" Tohru worried. She's so adorable like that.

"No! 'Cause I don't wanna go on a date with _her_," he spat.

"Honestly, you could be a little nicer," I advised, but knowing him-

"Whatever."

-he'd just blow it off.

"Yuki's right, Kyo. I know if I had a boyfriend, I'd want him to be nice. I'd want him to treat me well and make me feel special." She blushed as she said this.

Kyo stood still for a moment and a shadow appeared on his face. "Then, why don't you just go out with that damn rat?" He finally said and walked out of the room.

"That stupid cat. He makes me sick with all the nonsense that comes out of his mouth," I said, disgusted. "He'd do well to heed your advice, Tohru."

"Y-Yuki? Do you think Kyo meant what he said?" Tohru asked with tears in her eyes and a hint of a blush on her face.

"I'm not sure anymore about what he says. He could just stop talking for all I care. Anyway, he hurt you."

"Huh?"

I lifted my finger to her eye and wiped a tear that was starting to fall. "He made you cry with what he said. It's not right."

"Oh! I didn't even realize!" She freaked and started frantically wiping her tears away.

I chuckled and lifted my hand to cup her cheek. "It's okay to cry. He said hurtful things."

"I guess," she sniffled. Her blush darkened a little.

I looked in the direction Kyo stormed off and thought for a second. Then, I grudgingly made my decision. "I'll go talk to him. You should cry it out in your room. This way, Shigure doesn't worry if he sees you and you can get it out of your system, alright?"

"Okay. You're so kind, Yuki. I'm very lucky to have you as a friend." She smiled thankfully and headed for her room.

I hesitated before finding the idiot. I found him in the kitchen making a rice ball.

"Kyo?"

"What ever you gotta say, I ain't listening," he warned.

"Well, you should."

"Why the hell should I?"

"Because what I have to say is important."

"Fine. Talk already."

"Why did you say for Tohru to go out with me?"

He didn't answer. He just kept looking at his rice ball. I was surprised that he was so calm, but he wasn't cooperating. I decided it was getting us nowhere, so I took it from another direction.

"What are your true feelings for her?" I could almost tell what the answer would be. It would hurt.

"Like I'm gonna tell you!" He scoffed.

"Fine," I shrugged and grinned. "Then, I'll just have to throw you through the roof." Kyo winced and slowly turned to face me.

Last summer, Kyo declared a final battle with me, which lasted for three weeks. That's twenty-one days of non-stop fighting, 504 hours of "breaking" Shigure's house, 30,240 minutes of sweating and bleeding, and 1,814,400 seconds of Tohru worrying. I won, of course, and Kyo finally learned his lesson. All we do is argue now and if I threaten to hurt him in any way, he knows to leave me alone or do what I say.

"Alright. You want the truth? Here it is." He took a deep breath and looked at me with serious eyes. "I said that to her because it hurts. It hurts when she says the stuff that she says because it makes me feel like crap."

"So… you hate her?" I asked confused.

"No! I just… I just feel like an idiot all the time and it doesn't help when you and Shigure are constantly telling me that. I don't know how to control the words I say to her, so I always look stupid to her. Then, she makes me feel better when she tells me one of her stories and smiles at me the way she always does." He paused for a while.

I could have sworn I saw a smile appear on his face. That's when I _knew_ how he felt about her.

"You-" I choked on the word. It would be too hard to say it myself.

In response, he looked at me in an odd way and continued. "Every time I see you two together, I get jealous! You make it look so easy to talk to her. Whenever I try to talk to her, I get all embarrassed and I forget who the person is in front of me, so I start yelling at her for no reason. Then, I see the look on her face and remember that I'm not talking to a normal person."

"You don't think Tohru's normal?" I asked confused again.

"That's not what I meant you damn rat! She's just different from other people you might see. She's like a colored pearl among a bunch of white ones. And she makes me feel happy."

"She would melt if she heard that." I sighed. "I get it now."

"Huh? Get what?"

"Y-you're… in love with her." I was right the whole time. It did hurt. Worse than I thought.

"What?! Y-you're just being stupid now!" He lied angrily.

"Oh, yeah? Then, why do you say all those things about her and feel the way you do when you're around her?!" I countered. This put him on the spot.

"So what if I do love her?! What are you gonna do about it?"

I hesitated. Now _he_ had me on the spot.

"You… You love her too, don't you?" He asked quietly.

"Yes," I answered without hesitation.

"So… is this a new rivalry?" He asked with a small grin on his face. I could tell he was thinking of how we always used to fight. That's when we became friendlier towards each other. That last battle was also when I stopped calling Tohru "Miss Honda" and started calling her by her first name. "So rat," Kyo said, snapping me out of my reverie. "Shall we fight each other for her?"

"How about this? Once a week for three months, we'll have Shigure choose a challenge for us and whoever wins gets to spend the rest of that week with Tohru without any interruptions from the other competitor. Fair?"

"I'm game, but we should have someone else pick the challenges because knowing that damn dog, he'd make the challenges perverted. Why don't we just go with Hatori?"

"Because he won't do it." I thought for a second. "Why not Momiji?"

"Because he'll just make the challenges stupid with the way he thinks."

"Hiro?"

"That brat? Forget it! How about Haru?"

"No way!"

"Well, we're definitely not gonna let that idiot brother of yours do it."

"I agree completely." I thought carefully. "Kisa! It's perfect! She loves Tohru so much

that I'm sure she'll want to be involved. And I'm pretty sure her love for the both of us is

equal, so the challenges would most likely be fair."

"Yeah but she's just a kid."

"She's a teenager and very mature for her age."

"Ah! It's too bad we can't have Tohru, herself, choose the challenges 'cause she of all people would be fair."

"True, but we can't trick her like that. It wouldn't be right."

"I know that! I didn't mean anything by it!"

"Just checking." I smiled mischievously.

"So Kisa's gonna do it?"

"Yes. Whoever spends the most time with Tohru after three months wins and he gets to tell her how he feels about her. And he can't mess it up because he won't get a second chance. We have to tell her everything about ourselves that she doesn't already know. Whatever we haven't talked to her about, we do."

"Fine! I accept this!" Suddenly, he froze. He started shaking violently and it hit me then, too.

Kagura.

We'd forgotten all about her. If she found out that Kyo really didn't love her and loved Tohru instead, she'd have both our heads for it because I would have encouraged him. Worse, her friendship with Tohru would be tainted.

"Ah, hell! Why didn't we figure this out sooner?!" Kyo freaked.

"Especially since we just saw her! She's the only flaw in our plan."

"Why can't anything ever go right for us?! If we tell Kagura, she'll literally kill us! What are we gonna to do?"

"We don't tell her and tell everyone else not to tell her. Got it?"

"Yeah. Good idea."

"Glad you see it my way," I prided.

End of Chapter 1

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Please review respectfully with constructive criticism! It's very much appreciated! Thank you all! 3


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Heeeeeeyy! WARNING: In this chapter, there's quite a lot of violence and some mention of blood/losing blood. The violence and blood isn't much, but I hope that anyone who doesn't like violence and reads this... SUCKS IT UP! JK! ^-^ Anyway, ON WITH THE CHAPTER!!! XD

R&R please!

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Chapter 2

Minor things in my life have changed. The Sohma family is still cursed and I still try to live up to the expectations I feel everyone has for me. The "Yuki Fan Club" is still in tact, but now there's a Kyo, Hatsuharu, and Momiji fan club and they're even worse than the "Yuki" girls- especially the "Momiji" girls. I wonder what's going to happen to the Yuki and Kyo fan clubs when we leave, though.

It's the next day and Shigure is getting on Kyo's nerves once again. Haru and Momiji have been hanging around the house a lot more often since they started going to our school a year ago and Kisa, along with Hiro, come over as well. Tohru is at work at the moment, but will be back in an hour- too bad it won't be a short hour.

"Ami! Where could our little flower, Tohru, be? Things are so much quieter when she _is_ around," Shigure whined.

"Shigure, you damn well better shut that stupid mouth of yours before I shut it for you! You know she's at work! And don't call her 'our flower'!" Kyo yelled.

"Oh, Kyo. Dear, sweet, poor, ridiculous Kyo. I don't know what I'm going to do with you. Honestly…" As Shigure babbled on, Kyo's temper sky-rocketed and his whole body turned red in raged anger.

"You really do like hearing yourself talk, don't you?" He asked darkly.

"Oh, Kyo! You get so angry at the tiniest things! It's no wonder you don't have a girlfriend!" Momiji taunted in his chipper tone, which had gotten a little deeper.

"You know what, you little brat?! I've had enough of you!" Kyo shouted as he used his fists to pinch Momiji's head.

"Waaaahh! Somebody! Kyo's hurting me! Waaaaaahh!" Momiji cried as he squirmed in Kyo's hold.

"Shut up, you little twerp! You're too old to be acting like this!"

"Kyo, stop being mean to him. And Momiji, stop bothering Kyo," I said calmly.

"You handled that very well, Yuki," Haru praised in his mellow voice.

"Thanks. Now get your hands off of me," I said irritably, shaking my arm loose.

Only ten minutes have passed since I last looked at the clock. Fifty more minutes until Tohru came home. That's when I decided that I'd go pick her up. I quietly walked out of the room without being noticed and was out of the house, on my way.

I was halfway to Tohru's work when I saw a couple of suspicious-looking men following a shadowed figure. From what I could tell, it was a girl. I picked up my pace, being sure to keep my steps quiet so as not to be seen or heard and saw that the girl looked to be in the same year as me and she was wearing a uniform from my school! I had to save her, whether I knew her or not.

The girl whipped her head back and forward in one swift motion that I didn't get a chance to see her face clearly. In a way, though, she reminded me of Tohru. She started running and the two pervs chased after. I ran through a short-cut and appeared two feet before the girl and saw that it _was_ Tohru! I threw my hands out to catch her by the shoulders, so that I wouldn't transform if her body slammed into me. The two guys stopped and chuckled in a creepy tune that sent chills up my spine.

"Y-yuki! Thank goodness you're here! Help me, please!" Tohru panicked. There were tears pouring down her face and she looked tired from working hard, and then from running.

"Of course, Tohru. Don't worry about a thing. I'll make them pay for trying to hurt you," I assured.

"Thank you, Yuki," she sobbed.

I pushed her behind me with care and looked at the guys in rage and disgust. I snarled my nose at them, baring my teeth. I must've looked fierce because they looked scared.

"Wh-what does this pretty-boy think he's doing?" One of them asked nervously, teeth chattering.

The other one, who was sweating profusely and shaking all over, pretended to sound tough and said, "He's just being a punk who thinks he can stand up to two big guys like us."

_Tch! Wimps! _I thought.

"Oh trust me," I started darkly, "you don't want to know what I can do to both of you in one quick move."

"Y-yeah, right! No one can do anything like-" Before the first guy could finish, I'd punched him- throwing him onto the other one and knocking them both out. It was like killing two birds with one stone.

"Lowlifes!" I spat in disgust.

"Thank you, Yuki," Tohru sobbed. She made a movement to lean on me for support then stopped short. I guess she remembered that I would transform if she did anything that would be considered hugging me. I wanted to put my arm around her in protection.

Stupid curse.

"I'm sorry, Tohru, for being cursed with the Chinese Zodiac. I'd carry you home if I could," I said solemnly, my head hanging down in shame.

"It's not your fault," she assured while drying her eyes. "That's kind of you to say that you would carry me home! I'm so happy!" She said cheerfully.

"Come on. Let's g-" Before I could finish my sentence as I was turning around, three huge men were standing behind us with their very intimidating, muscular arms tightly folded. They looked like angry monsters.

"Hey!" One of them shouted. He pointed a finger at me. "You hurt our friends!"

"You're gonna pay for that!" The one on his right said.

"Then we'll take the girl and have some fun," the one on the left bragged.

This got me raged! "You don't want to provoke me. I'll do to you three what I did to your two lackeys over there," I said more darkly than before.

"Oh, we're so scared!" The first guy said in fake fright. I suspected he was the ring leader of the pack of sick dogs. _Perverted_ dogs.

"You should be," I growled slowly.

"Oh, really? What're ya gonna do about it, kid?" The leader taunted, getting in my face and poking me once in the shoulder.

"Just watch." In two seconds, I'd slipped away from the monstrous ogre and punched the one on the left in the nose, making him fly into nearby dumpsters. "Who's next?" I asked looking at the other two. They were a little scared now, but much angrier.

"You'll pay for that. How'd you send him flying like that?! He's much bigger than the scrawny, little _rat_ that you are! Why are you stronger?!" He demanded.

"Oh, believe me. You don't want to know." My face was shadowed.

"Huh?" I could tell he was very confused, but I guess if I had a brain that small, I'd be confused too. "Alright! Shen! Let's get 'im together. Like we done all the other punks who thought they could beat us."

The next thing I knew, he and "Shen" were stomping towards me, stamping their palms with their boulder-like fists. Worse, the two from before who started all this were walking up behind them. It was almost as if they'd never been hurt!

I waited patiently for them to charge. At the last minute, I would duck under them and attack from behind. It didn't take long for them to reach me and I put my plan into action. They had no idea what happened. I knocked the back two guys' heads together. They slumped to the ground and the other two turned around a little off-guard and shaken.

"Hey! Where'd you go you little punk? How'd you get over there?!" The leader commanded angrily.

"I'm quicker than you, that's how," I responded simply, my face still shadowed.

"Hey, boss, this kid's starting to creep me out. M-maybe we should just go," the one on the right cowered.

"You better listen to him, _boss_," I taunted. "I'm not going easy; no mercy."

The "boss" winced, but regained his tough composure. "Let's get 'im, Shen!"

"R-right!"

They ran at me, but I still had one more trick up my sleeve. I only had one more, so it would have to work on the first try. Besides, Tohru's innocence- and life- was at stake. I _had_ to protect her if it was the last thing I did.

I ducked under them as I'd done a minute before, but my plan went downhill. One of the low-lively brutes had caught my right ankle- gripping it tightly, almost crushing my bones- and was pulling me out from underneath them. I'd gotten far under them, so when they dragged me out, the rough asphalt of the alleyway street was dirtying and ripping my clothes, and scraping and tearing my skin, causing it to speckle with blood.

I knew then that I was dead. I didn't know how to get out of this one. It felt like I was literally in an iron grasp. It's very hard to fight someone off when you're on the ground and someone's got a hold on your leg.

They pulled me up to meet their eyes; their eyes which were bloodshot, milky, filmy, and dilated. Their noses were scrunched up hard and their eyebrows were pulled so close together that it looked like they had unibrows. It was a pretty frightening sight to see.

I turned my head frantically to find Tohru huddled by some stacked boxes. She was crying and holding both sides of her head in fear. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw one of the big ugly brutes clomping up to Tohru.

"Hey sweetheart! You wanna get freaky tonight?" The monster sniggered. It was the way he said it; sending shivers through my body and it angered me to the point that not even Kyo has seen.

"Don't you dare touch her, you damn bastard!!!" I yelled to the top of my lungs.

I hit the leader's hand so that he would let go of me and I could save her. Luckily, he'd loosened his grip a long time ago and now I was jumping around to get away from "Shen", who was staggering around to catch me. By this time, however, the others that I'd sent flying earlier were up and heading my way with angered expressions.

I was in trouble.

I jumped away again and landed on the leg that the leader was holding a minute before. I cringed in pain. He'd held my ankle so tight that my bones were almost crushed. Then, I remembered Tohru and looked behind me and saw the monster crouching over her. He was about ready to rip her shirt off! She let out a little squeal and covered her face.

"DID YOU NOT HEAR ME, YOU JACKASS?! I said, 'DON'T TOUCH HER'! Are you deaf?!" I ran- enduring the pain that followed with every stride- towards the scoundrel and decked him in the side of his cheek. His face smacked against the wall and his head started bleeding.

"Yuki!" Tohru exclaimed.

"Tohru, did he hurt you? Did he touch you at all?" I asked desperately.

"N-no, he only tugged my sleeve," she sobbed in a whisper.

"Don't worry, Tohru. I'll make sure that's all they do," I assured. "It was a mistake to let him do it at all."

"It's okay, Yuki. Your hands were full with the other guys." She smiled weakly. "Thank you, though. I can only imagine what he would've done if you'd gotten to me much later."

"Let's just be glad he didn't get a chance to," I stated seriously. "Right now, we need to get you somewhere safe before- Aggh!" I was hit.

One of _them_ had thrown me to the ground- my head hitting the ground hard- and now I could barely see. My vision was blurry and I could only make out colors. I could still hear, thank God for that. Now, I saw a big dark blob going towards where I could've sworn Tohru was. I tried to move, but nothing happened. I tried to yell at the ogre, but the same result occurred.

I was at a loss. There was nothing I could do. Tohru was going to be hurt because of me. Because of me, I was probably never going to see her again. It was my fault that we were going to die.

**There was nothing I could do. **

End of Chapter 2

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Please review respectfully with constructive criticism! It's very much appreciated! Thank you all! 3


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Heeeeeeyy! MetallicBlueFrog here! This chapter continues a small amount of the violence and blood, but it doesn't last long. On the upside, MAJOR TOHRU AND KYO MOMENT(s)!!! ^-^ READ ON!!! XD

R&R please!

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Chapter 3

It had started raining fifteen minutes before I was hit. I wasn't sure what was going to happen next, but I had a few guesses. One thing was for sure, we were more than just simply in big trouble and no one was around to save us. I should've held my tongue when I'd thought that because I saw something orange go by and something white went by as well. Could the colors be cops? No way. My instincts were screaming that Kyo and Haru had come to rescue us. Tohru screaming out Kyo's name in shock also gave me a clue.

"Kyo!? And Haru!" She gasped through the rain. I vaguely heard them asking her if she was alright and Kyo told Haru to make sure she was.

Then I heard him exclaim, "Hey there rat boy! Can you get up?"

That's when I found the will to speak. "I think so." I tried to get up. It took me a couple of tries, but I was finally able to stand.

"Can you fight?" Haru asked.

"Yeah. As long as my will to save Tohru is strong, I can fight."

"That's what I like to hear! Now let's get this over with so Tohru can be back at home, safe in her bed," Kyo said. "Haru, you take those two over there," Kyo instructed, pointing at the guys who started the fight. "I'll take those two and Yuki, you take the leader. Get your pride back, you damn rat!" He ordered with a smirk. I could tell he said that for old time's sake.

I grinned and said, "Thanks, you stupid cat." I ran towards the leader.

Right after Kyo told him which ones to get, Haru had taken off to fight his enemies and was already engaged in a fight with them. As I was running towards the leader- still ignoring the pain in my ankle- I looked at Kyo and saw that he was engaged in a fight as well. He looked a little happy to be fighting again; and Haru seemed like he was having the time of his life. I even noticed that his dark personality had come out. The two he was fighting were in trouble.

We fought for what seemed like hours alongside each other and finally achieved victory. The rain had stopped ten minutes before the fight ended and we were soaking wet. Blood dripped from all eight of us and we could hardly breathe. Kyo- in spite of his condition, which was a little worse than mine- took charge once again.

"Alright, Haru, help Yuki back to the house. I'll help Tohru." With that, he limped over to her and stretched out his hand. Maybe he's the one who should be carried. "Come on, let's go. I can't carry you or anything, but I can at least be by your side if you get weak or something," he explained.

"Oh. Well, thank you very much Kyo!" She thanked happily, smiling brightly like she always does. She's cute when she does that.

Tohru took his hand and stood up. As they started walking, Kyo winced at his limping leg and Tohru's worried look immediately shown on her beautiful face.

"Oh, Kyo, what's wrong? Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. Those bastards got me good." He looked at her and smiled. "Are you okay Tohru?"

"Huh? Oh, I'm fine, but you're the one who's hurt!"

"I'm okay. Just walkin' it off." It's funny how Kyo changes his attitude when he's around Tohru. Talk about a split personality.

"Are you sure? I-"

"Tohru…" He lifted his hand to her face and cupped her chin, pulling it up to look at him. "I'm alright. Don't worry about it," he reassured. Then he turned to smirk at me for getting ahead.

That stupid cat. How dare he flirt with Tohru right in front of me? Our contest hasn't even started and he's already winning even though I'm the real guy who saved her.

"Well, Yuki, should we go?" Haru asked looking from me to Tohru and the cat, then back at me.

"Yeah," I said as Haru helped me limp over to Tohru and Kyo.

It was a long and quiet walk back to Shigure's house. Kyo and I were both still limping and the only sounds made were our grunting. My shirt was torn all in the front from being dragged off the asphalt and the blood that had appeared there was starting to dry. I was also bleeding on my head and a little on my arms.

Kyo bled from his head as well and he had bruises almost all over his body. Haru barely got hurt because the two guys that started it were tired out from dealing with me first. He only got a few bruises from fighting them. Yes, all was quiet until Tohru finally spoke up.

"Um… I would like to thank you all for saving me." She turned toward us and bowed. "I'm not exactly sure what would've happened if Yuki hadn't found me. And if Kyo and Hatsuharu hadn't come to help… Well, we would've been in more trouble than I can imagine. And so, I am forever grateful to have each of you as my friend." She straightened up and smiled brightly at us. It was the smile she always wears and melts my heart to the very core. There was a problem with it, though. It seemed a little broken. She was still traumatized from the experience she had.

"Tohru, we would've saved you from a harmless guy. You mean more to us than you'll ever know," Kyo said wholeheartedly. "We'll protect you with our lives. Well, I know I will for sure. Yuki probably would and Haru would just be happy to kick some creep's ass." At that comment, he grinned.

"Kyo, you know very well that I'd be first to save Tohru," I snapped in defense. "And how could you possibly think Haru wouldn't want to save Tohru? He knows better that. How can someone _not _save someone? Can you answer that?"

"Well, if someone was coldhearted enough… But no one could just sit back and watch someone get hurt! And I know he knows better! Why do you always gotta turn everything I say around?! Can _you_ answer _that_?" He yelled while pointing at me.

"I have more fun with you that way," I said calmly, leering at him.

Before anyone noticed, I was directly in front of Kyo. Just as he saw me, I punched the side of his head making him fly to the ground.

"Don't ever get smart with me," I said dangerously. "Never use what I say against me. I'll have to hit you much harder than that. I hope you lost consciousness." I turned and limped back to Haru. "Let's go, Haru."

I looked back to see if Tohru was right behind us only to find her frantically whipping her head back and forth from Kyo to us. I don't think she knew what to do. She was stuck between helping Kyo and going back with us.

"Tohru, are you coming?" I called to her.

"Sh-shouldn't we help Kyo?" She stuttered worriedly.

"He'll be fine. It's you who needs to be taken care of," I told her.

"But I'm fine. You and especially Kyo need to be treated to. You've got cuts on your arms and body. Kyo's head is bleeding. He needs medical care right now, doesn't he?"

I hate it when she makes sense. Especially when the subject has to do with Kyo.

"Tohru," Haru surprisingly said, "I'll take Yuki back to Shigure's house. Go ahead and stay with Kyo if you feel that's the right decision. If you need a 'ride', Kyo has a cell phone in one of his pants pockets, so just call me."

"Thank you, Haru," she thanked in relief.

He looked back at me and jumped a little after seeing a deadly glare on my face. "What?"

"Why did you do that?" I whispered toxically.

"Sorry Yuki. I guess I just wanted it to be only you and me."

"Shut up and take me back to Shigure's," I snapped in a hushed voice.

Once again, the walk was long and quiet. Haru never was much of a talker and I had to admit, even though I liked the silence, I was a little bored without Tohru or even Kyo there to start a conversation or argue with.

Worse of all, mine and Kyo's contest to win over Tohru hadn't even started and I was already losing. _How is it that an idiot cat like Kyo could be so good with Tohru when he used to yell at her all the time? And why does she try so hard to be his friend and forgive his angry outbursts? Could it be that…_ _that maybe she…_

_…she likes him?_

_Tohru has a very good and pure heart, so maybe that's not it. But to be that nice to Kyo? Unless that's just how wonderful her heart is. _I thought this as we reached the door to the house.

"We're here, Yuki," Haru stated, snapping me out of my reverie.

"Uh! Okay, thanks Haru." I opened the door and limped in. Haru started to follow me, but stopped when I turned around. "Can you do me a favor?" I pleaded with worry full in my eyes.

"Sure, Yuki. Do you want me to go get Tohru and Kyo?"

"I wasn't even thinking about that cat, but sure. It's too long of a walk and I know Tohru won't leave Kyo's side knowing that he's hurt. So when you find them, hug Tohru so that you can transform. You might have to carry Kyo back with you. Speaking of hugging to transform, I hope neither one of them has accidentally hugged each other. Kyo, in the condition that he's in, would probably die as a cat," I explained lengthily.

"Don't forget that being in the condition he's in, Kyo could transform anyway... but will do." With that, he turned around and headed back to bring them safely home.

Meanwhile, I limped to the bathroom to get the first aid kit and limped to the kotatsu. I took off the ripped-up shirt and as I started tending to my wounds, my bigger idiot of a cousin came into the room and looked surprised at me.

"My, what happened to you, Yuki? And where's Tohru? I thought you were going to pick her up from work. And what ever happened to Kyo and Haru?" He questioned.

"It's a long story," I replied reluctantly.

"Well, you know as well as anyone that I have the time. Those injuries look pretty bad. Did you get into another fight with Kyo?"

"Well, there was a fight… and Kyo _was_ involved, but… it wasn't with each other," I explained, spacing it out for more affect.

"Were you fighting Haru?" Shigure asked a little confused.

"No… but he was involved as well."

"Well, I don't really get it. What happened?" He was surprisingly calm, which is rare.

"Okay, here it is. I left to get Tohru and on my way, I saw two suspicious-looking men-" hmm, déjà vu "-and a girl, who turned out to be Tohru. The guys started chasing her through an alley; meanwhile, I took a short-cut and caught up to them. As usual, I kicked those lowlifes'… butts." I was trying hard not to cuss because I knew for a fact that Shigure would be quick to tell Kyo and I'd never hear the end of it.

"Just as Tohru and I were leaving, three other guys- perverted monsters- got angry at me for beating up their lackeys; the weakest members. These guys were street-fighters, so you may not believe this after seeing me fight with Kyo when I say that they almost had me beat at one point."

"What?! Yuki couldn't handle three big 'monsters'? You're right, I don't believe this."

"Mm-hm. The leader had me by the ankle- crushing it. I got out of his vice grip when I saw one of the other guys stomping up to Tohru. I slammed that guy's head into the wall and caused it to bleed. I checked to see if Tohru wasn't hurt or if that guy did anything to her, but she said that he only tugged on her sleeve.

"Before I knew it, I was thrown to the ground and my head hit the pavement hard. It bled, of course, and my eyesight started going blurry, so all I could make out was colors. That's when Kyo and Haru came. Kyo asked if I could get up and I did. By now, the first guys had gotten up and were ready to fight again. Kyo instructed Haru to fight those two; he took on the other two, and told me to get revenge on the leader to take my pride back.

"We finally finished the fight as the victors. Kyo and I were badly hurt, as you can see." I waved my hand slowly up and down to my wounds. "Haru got a few bruises; nothing to complain about. But I guess Kyo was worse than I was because his head was bleeding more than mine. Also, we got into an argument and I might have knocked him to the ground out of anger."

"Ah, so you two did get into a fight with each other. I was correct," he validated.

Whatever.

"Is that where Kyo and Tohru are now?"

"Yeah," I sighed. "I sent Haru to get them. At least it's faster than walking home by themselves. That would've taken twice as long. Besides, Kyo and I were both limping and his was worse."

"And you left them?"

"What would you do if your idiot cousin was getting friendlier with the girl you both loved right in front of your face?!" I snapped.

Shigure sighed. "What happened?" He asked with suspicion.

"That stupid cat! We were all on our way when Kyo said something nice to Tohru, then had the nerve to smirk over his shoulder at me. Then he doubted mine and Haru's capability to save Tohru if she was ever in danger again! I said something and he got smart with me by using what I said against me, so I punched him in the side of his head and he went flying to the ground. I told him something else and said that I hoped he was unconscious.

"After that, I started walking off and looked back to see Tohru still standing between us, frantically looking from Kyo to me. I asked her if she was coming with me and Haru, but she seemed to be really worried about him. I told her that he'd be fine, but she made a good point about him bleeding worse than me, so Haru told her that he'd walk back with me and he'd go back to help them back if they couldn't handle it on their own."

There was a long silence and Shigure finally spoke. "You know, Yuki… you'll never get ahead with Tohru if you keep acting like Kyo used to." This got me just a little angry.

"Are you implying that I'm an-"

"Asshole? Yes Yuki. It seems that you and Kyo have traded personality places. You may act like yourselves when Tohru isn't around, but now that Kyo knows about your feelings for Tohru, he's taking that into his advantage and getting closer to her is his prime motive to making you jealous."

"Did that just come off the top of your head?" I asked in disbelief.

"For once, no. It's a theory I've had," he replied simply.

_Yeah, it's a theory you've had... FOR ABOUT A DAY!_ "I see… So do you think Tohru will choose Kyo instead of me?"

"For a long time, it seemed as though you had the upper hand. Although, I'm not so sure how this could turn out. She shows a lot of care for both of you and it seems that the only people who can make her the happiest she's ever been are you and Kyo. Now, I don't know what her true feelings are for you two, but I just wish you can tell her soon. Stop playing games with her already and admit how you feel to _her._ A lot of people know how you and Kyo feel about her, but _she's_ the one who needs to know. If you don't tell her, someone will and that person will most likely be me or Ayame."

"If either of you so much as hint to her how we feel, you'll be flying all the way to the North Pole in your underwear!" I threatened with a glint in my eyes.

"Now, Yuki, there's no need to get violent," he cowered nervously, holding up his hands in defense. "I was just-"

"You were just babbling as usual," I confronted.

"Well, yes, if that's what you want to call it."

Before our 'conversation-turned-violent' continued, we heard Haru call to us. "Hey Yuki! Shigure! We're here; come help!"

"Coming!" I called. As I ran out the door, I heard Shigure mutter, "Phew, saved by the cow." I rolled my eyes at that pitiful comment. I got to the door and saw Haru as his cow-self with Kyo on his back and Tohru right beside them holding Haru's clothes. I had to stifle a laugh. Was it this funny when my bronchial tubes acted up and they had to carry me home?

"Yuki, your wounds look so much better!" Tohru praised with her adorable smile.

"Yeah, I guess they do," I agreed, looking over myself. Then, she realized I was shirtless and blushed a little. "Sorry Tohru," I apologized sincerely. "If it would make you more comfortable, I could put on another shirt."

"N-no, don't be silly! If you're comfortable going around like that, go right ahead! I-I don't m-mind," she said in that high-pitched voice she usually speaks in when she gets nervous. She's too modest.

"Hello! Does anyone remember the injured guy on my back? I'd feel more comfortable if he wasn't using me as a bed. What do you guys think would happen if I transformed? He would fall off, that's what," Haru ranted sarcastically. "Come on, Yuki. Get him off of me," he whined.

"Oh! Sorry Haru! I can't believe I forgot," Tohru squeaked.

"Do I really have to carry him?" I complained.

"How else do you expect to get him upstairs to his room?" Haru said, continuing his sarcasm.

"Please Yuki? He could transform in this state. We have to tend to his wounds before that happens," Tohru whispered. She lowered her head and started crying, but her speaking volume went up two octaves and her voice was throaty. "I wish you could put aside your hatred for Kyo and help him before his condition turns fatal."

I winced. I couldn't believe she actually said that. I guess I have turned into an asshole. "Okay, I'll get him upstairs. Just please don't cry Tohru!" I carefully picked the stupid cat up, draped him over my shoulder, and headed upstairs to his room.

"Shigure, could you get the first aid kit please?" Tohru called.

"Sure thing Tohru!" He called back.

"Haru, you coming?" I asked over my shoulder that wasn't preoccupied with Kyo's unconscious body.

"Yeah, right behind you," he answered quietly. I heard his hooves thump on the stairs.

"I'll be right up too Yuki!" Tohru yelled to me.

"Alright!" I yelled back. I got to Kyo's room, walked in, and laid him on his bed. It wasn't too long until Tohru was there with the first aid kit.

"Yuki, could you go get me some water? It's the one thing I forgot," Tohru asked hastily as she rummaged through the kit. Just then, Haru transformed back, causing Tohru to screech and whip her head around while she blushed furiously.

"Tohru, do you still have my clothes with you?" He asked.

"Oh no! I forgot those too! I'm such an idiot! I was only thinking about bandaging Kyo's wounds, so it never crossed my mind that Haru would change back!" Tohru exclaimed without turning around. Instead, she'd moved to the wall and banged her head once on it.

"That's okay," he shrugged. "I'll just put on a pair of Kyo's pants and go downstairs to get my clothes. It's no big deal."

"I'll just go wait in the hall," Tohru said and started for the door.

"No need. I already got a pair on. It's okay to look."

"You sure?"

"It's okay Tohru. He really does have pants on," I assured her.

"O-okay." She turned around slowly and peeked her eyes open a little. She looked so adorable like a newborn puppy!

"See there? He's dressed. Well, somewhat I guess."

"I'll be back in a minute. I'll go ahead and just get the water before I come up," Haru informed as he headed out the door without another word from Tohru and me.

"So what do you want me to do Tohru?" I asked helpfully.

"Um, could you get another shirt and a pair of pants for him?" She asked politely.

"Uh, sure," I grudgingly but quickly accepted. I got his favorite black T-shirt and a pair of his favorite khaki cargo pants. "Now what?" I asked as I handed her the clothes.

By the time I'd gotten the clothes, she'd taken the shirt that Kyo still had on and had laid it on the bed next him. Her innocence… She was being very serious about this. I wonder if she was telling herself to focus on cleaning up Kyo's wounds.

"Well, as soon as Haru gets back, would you help put his clothes on? Since I'm a girl, I can't do it. Would you, please?"

I sighed and smiled. "Sure."

"Yuki," she said without looking up, "I appreciate your help. And I'm sure if Kyo knew what you were doing, he'd appreciate it as well."

"No," I argued, "he'd flip out if he knew I touched his clothes or clothed him. He'd even flip out if he knew I was in his room," I explained.

"Still… You're helping Kyo even though you don't like him. That's very admirable."

"I'm just helping because you asked me too," I said truthfully.

"I don't think that's the only reason you're helping," she argued, still not looking up. She had a small smile, though, and that told me that she knew something. "I know you're a good person, Yuki. I know you're helping him out of your own free will because the 'Yuki' I know would never just let someone's wounds as bad as these turn worse.

"You're family; you still love each other even though you don't like each other. No matter how much you say you hate him, I know that deep down you love him because he's your cousin; he's family. You should always value your family, whether you like them or not. And so, I know you love him and that you're helping him because you don't want anything bad to happen to him."

I stared at the floor and thought about what she said for a while. "I'm sure he doesn't feel the same way," I finally said.

"Yuki," she started playfully, looking up at me now, "you both may be good actors, but I see right through you both! I'm sure that deep down, he loves you too." She smiled a wide and assuring smile.

Just then, Haru came back, dressed in his own clothes, and with the water he said he'd get. "Hey, sorry it took so long."

"It's alright!" Tohru said cheerfully. "What matters is that you're here now."

Tohru cleaned Kyo up and had us help whenever she needed it. When she was done cleaning and bandaging him up, she went outside the room while Haru and I put Kyo's clothes on for him. We called her back in when we were done and helped put everything away.

Downstairs, we found Shigure asleep in his office. Tohru suggested that we let him sleep, so we decided to just hang out and play some games for a while. About two hours later, Tohru started worrying about Kyo and was wondering if he was alright.

"I'm going to go check on him," she stated rather suddenly.

"I'll do it," I volunteered. "As you said Tohru: he's family."

"Really Yuki?!" She squeaked happily.

"Sure, why not?"

"You're not going to do anything rash, are you, Yuki?" Haru asked accusingly.

"Of course not you idiot!" I snapped, smacking the back of his head.

"Ow, Yuki," he whined. "What was that for?"

"You really are stupid," I stated angrily. I turned to Tohru. "I'll let you know what's going on, okay?"

"Alright," she smiled.

Taking her smile to my heart, I dashed upstairs. I almost tripped three times, but I made it. When I got to Kyo's door, I made sure to knock first in case he was awake. I knew that he'd get all bent out of shape if I barged in without knocking, whether I helped save his feline butt or not.

Hearing no answer, I opened the door and poked my head in. He was still asleep, so I walked up to him and checked his pulse. His pulse was stronger than earlier. As I was pulling my hand away from his neck, he started getting restless. Before I knew it, he was awake and looking at me with frightened and angered eyes.

"What the hell do you think you're doing, you damn rat?!" He screamed. "Are you trying to kill me or something?"

"Would you just relax, you stupid cat?" I said, trying to remain calm. "I was just seeing if you still had a pulse. We did save your life."

"What the hell are you talking about?" He asked on-guard.

Next thing we know, Tohru is at the doorway. "What's going on?" She asked. "I heard yelling."

"Tohru!" Kyo exclaimed.

"Hello Kyo! It's good to see you're finally up," she said brightly as she walked up to his bed. Her perkiness was so cute and I could feel my legs tingle anxiously.

He rubbed his forehead gently. "What happened after I passed out?"

"Well, let's see," Tohru started. "We were doing fine, but then you had to rest and just as I saw Haru coming our way, you'd fainted from losing so much blood. Haru put you on his back, piggy-back style, and hugged me to transform. I didn't know what I was gonna do if you fell off, but luckily, you didn't."

"Wait, where is Haru?" I asked.

"Oh, he told me to tell Kyo that he hopes he's okay." She turned back to Kyo. "Anyway, we finally got you home and upstairs. Yuki helped by carrying you to your room and picking out your clothes. Then, he and Haru changed you while I waited outside your room, but I was the one who got you cleaned up and bandaged. I think Shigure was asleep throughout that whole time," she finished. She sort of rushed through her explanation and Kyo's face remained dumbfounded as she spoke. She looked at me and sudden realization hit her. "Oh yeah!" She bowed. "Please don't be mad at Yuki and Haru for changing and touching your clothes. I asked them to."

Kyo's expression turned blank and he reached out and took Tohru's hand with a smile, saying: "Thank you."

End of Chapter 3

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Please review respectfully with constructive criticism! It's very much appreciated! Thank you all! 3


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: What's up people? Okay, so here's the good news. If there are Yuki/Tohru fans reading this for some reason, you'll love this one part in here. Here's the bad news, though. The part that you love will turn into a part that you'll be sad about. Not to worry! This is still a great chapter! ^-^ READ ON!!! XD

R&R please!

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Chapter 4

The next day, Tohru was floating through her house duties. Whenever she looked at me, she'd blush for a long time. If Kyo so much as looked at Tohru, she'd flip out and blush more than she would when she saw me. Kyo and I decided to talk about why Tohru was acting strange.

"I say she's being shy towards us because of yesterday," Kyo inferred.

"I understand why she's acting different around you, but why me?" I asked.

"Do you remember how you felt when you saw Tohru in trouble?"

"Yes, I was beyond angry; almost in a rage. When one of those monsters tugged her sleeve, I pretty much roared at him not to touch her and I did everything I could to make sure that they didn't get another chance to." My blood started boiling at the thought.

"Well that's why, you damn idiot!" Kyo roughly confirmed. "You made her feel special and worth protecting by saving her."

"Yeah, but I wasn't able to."

"Don't give me that! Even though you could barely see and move, you fought them. You still saved her. Haru and I just helped. By the way, you made it too easy for us to beat them by wearing them down before we got there."

I smirked. "You would've been out long before I was if you'd been the one to fight them first."

"Shut up," Kyo countered, exasperated.

I grew serious again. "The only reason why I wasn't able to beat them was because I let my emotions get the better of me. I was talking big- actually scaring them- and I thought I had the upper hand until that 'boss' got smart. I decided to hold back because I thought they wouldn't be able to take it if I gave it my all. I slipped up, though. I lost control. I wasn't fast enough."

"That's strange; you're pretty quick with me," Kyo ascertained.

"I know. My anger must have slowed me down."

"Your anger never slowed you down before. You're usually faster when you're angry. So why now?"

"I don't know," I said slowly. "I was never that angry before either. I guess I didn't want

Tohru's innocence to crack too much from all that violence."

"Yuki, her innocence has to crack sometime. It'll happen whether we like it or not."

"I know, I know." I took in a deep breath and sighed. "Do you ever think it would be easier to just… tell Tohru how we feel?"

Kyo about jumped out of his skin. "What?! Are you nuts? If we tell her, she'll avoid us completely. And besides, what about that contest?"

"I don't know about that anymore. It just wouldn't feel right. She should be able to decide when she wants to hang out with us."

"Dammit! Why do you always gotta be right?" Kyo shouted in guilt and anger.

"Because you're an idiot," I shot at him.

"What did you-?!" He started to say but stopped himself. I was surprised that he wasn't going to say anything. "You know what, I'm not even gonna try. I'm goin' to my room. The next time you see me will be at dinner." With that he left to his room.

I stared after him for a minute in confusion before looking for Shigure to actually want to talk to him. I found him in the most likely place: his office. I knocked on the door.

"Who is it?" He sang.

"It's me. Can I come in?" I answered.

"Yuki!" He beamed. "Sure, come on in." I walked in hesitantly and stood there. I felt like an innocent child that was called to be lectured on something important, even though I was there of my own free will. "What can I do for you?"

"I just wanted to talk," I replied as casually as I could. Shigure cocked an eyebrow up.

"No, really," he inquired. Even he couldn't believe it. His inclined eyebrow remained as if there was an invisible fish hook stuck in it.

"I'm actually serious. Tohru's been a little uncomfortable around me and Kyo, so neither of us can talk to her without her freaking out and leaving the room."

"Here's a possibly stupid question." His brow relaxed now.

"We already talked," I interrupted, knowing what he was about to suggest. His eyebrow shot up again, and then relaxed. "He started acting strange and headed to his room."

"Doesn't he always act strange?"

"This was different. I took a shot at him, but he let it go. It was as if he wasn't in the mood to fight."

"Kyo? Not in the mood to fight? Why… that's unheard of! Completely astonishing! I must say that I'm-"

"An idiot," I finished flatly for him.

"Oh, Yuki! Why'd you have to go and ruin our nice little chat?!" The grown man whined.

"You were babbling yet once again," I informed him. He started waving his arms side-to-side and moving his body in the same motions. "And stop that," I ordered. "You're too old to be throwing a fit."

Shigure pretended to start weeping. "I just don't know what I'm going to do with you anymore. You and Kyo might as well just kill me." He performed a dramatic death scene.

"Quit playing around. Don't you know how to be serious for once?"

"Of course I do. I am an adult, as you and Kyo have told me over a million times."

"Don't try to play your guilt on me," I retorted.

"Always the quick one to resort to violence," Shigure sighed.

"I am not. That's Kyo you're talking about," I argued childishly after a while.

Shigure let a chuckle escape his throat before remarking. "You know what I think you should do about your 'Tohru' problem?"

I let out an exasperated sigh. "What?"

"Come here," he motioned with his right hand while sticking his pencil behind his left ear with the hand on the same side. I hesitated and slowly crept up to him. "Closer," he urged. I bent down a little and with his right hand, which was still being held up, he smacked the back of my head. "Talk to her!"

"What did you that for?!" I whined angrily, holding my head.

"Talk to her," he repeated sharply in staccato.

"What do you mean?" I asked, puzzled.

"Do I have to spell it out for you?"

"If you don't mind."

"Get her alone in her room where she's comfortable and there's no place to run because she's already in the one place that she would want to be… and talk to her."

"Do you even know how that sounds?" I asked uneasily.

He thought about it for a minute and was a little embarrassed. "You're right! But you and I both know we're not talking about that."

"I know. It's an unsettling thought, though."

"Well, anyway, go somewhere private and talk to her about it. See if you can get her to calm down a little over last night."

"Okay. Why is it so rare that you give good advice?" I asked curiously.

"I give advice!" He defended in a high-pitched tone.

"_Good_ advice," I immediately repeated.

He pouted in response.

"I have half a mind to pull that lip over your head and hope you swallow it," I said, unamused by his behavior. "I think I lost too much blood because I'm actually going to listen to your advice." I started out the room. Stopping, I turned around and waved two fingers at him before running out, calling over my shoulder: "See ya at dinner!"

I didn't stop running until I was at Tohru's door. When I got there, though, all these butterflies appeared in the pit of my stomach and I realized that I was getting nervous. Just as I raised my hand to the door to knock, it flew open; revealing Tohru standing there as surprise took over her face.

"Y-Yuki!" She stammered and looked down. "Um, hi."

"Hi. How are you, Tohru?" I panted. I hadn't calmed down from running yet so I was pretty breathless.

"Uh, good. You?" She asked, still not looking at me.

"Same. Do you mind if we talk?" I blurted.

She was a little startled by my forwardness and shot her head up briefly. "S-sure. Come in." She stood aside to give me room to go in and shut the door before walking over to her bed where I was. I was already sitting on her bed and motioned for her to sit with me. "S-so… What did you want to talk about?" She asked slowly, refusing to look at me.

"Tohru, please look at me," I begged. She glanced, blushed, and quickly looked away.

"What's wrong? Why can't you look at me? Is it because of yesterday?"

Her eyes widened and she slowly turned her head to finally look at me. "H-how did you know?"

"Well, Kyo and I figured that you wouldn't act this way for no reason and yesterday's incident is the only recent thing that would do it," I explained.

"You talked to Kyo?" She looked thrilled.

"Yeah, we were worried about you because you wouldn't talk to us or even look at us. We thought it was because of yesterday. Looks like we were right."

"I'm sorry for making you worry. I guess I was just a little startled by your protectiveness and Kyo's gentleness towards me, that I didn't know how to handle it." She smiled.

"It's okay. We just want you to talk to us again."

"Okay, I will!"

"Good."

"So, you really talked to Kyo?"

I flinched at the memory of talking to that idiotic cat. "Y-yeah."

"You still don't like each other very much, do you?" She said sympathetically with a sad smile. "It's too bad. I like the idea of you two getting along better than watching you argue every day. I'm happy you don't fight anymore, but sometimes the arguments get a little too heated.

"I know that you and Kyo fight because of the story, but even though, all of you really had nothing to do with any of it. I understand that Kyo wants to be a part of it, but you had nothing to do with what the rat did. You're just cursed by its spirit. What I don't understand is why you and Kyo can't get along in spite of that. Why can't he just be angry at the rat from the story instead of you?"

"I'm… I'm not sure, Tohru," I replied solemnly.

"You wish you were friends, don't you Yuki?"

I smirked. "Good guess."

"I've been noticing that little detail a lot lately."

"That's what I adore most about you, Tohru," I blurted, causing her to jump a little and blush furiously. "You can be so perceptive about the biggest things and naïve about the smaller things. But that's what makes you so great and lovable. That's what makes it so easy to see the innocent girl that I fell in love with two years ago." I immediately stopped after hearing what I said and we became completely quiet. I spoke first after about five minutes. "I-I'm sorry Tohru. I-I don't know what…" I trailed off not knowing what else to say.

What I said was the truth and I didn't want to take it back, but I never thought I'd end up just saying it. I got up to leave and she surprisingly stopped me by grabbing my arm. Unfortunately, she grabbed it the wrong way and I transformed.

"I'm sorry!" She squealed. "I… I don't exactly know what to say. Now that I think about it… it sure explains a lot. Umm… When?"

I sighed. "To be honest, I really don't know. It might've happened somewhere between our first New Years' together and your first trip to the spa."

"You've really loved me for that long?" I said nothing. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"It's not really something that's easy to just tell that person."

"But everyone loves to be told that they're loved. It should be easy. And you never know what the answer will be." She sighed and looked a little sad. "Although, I'm not so sure I love you the same way. I do love you, but it's mostly as a close friend or relative. Oh, but now you look upset and I'm the one that caused it!" I shook my expression off my face right after she said that. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay. You can't help loving who you love. We can't choose who we fall in love with. But Tohru? I'm happy I fell in love with you. There's no one else I'd rather love."

"You can't mean that Yuki," she said softly. "I'm sure you'll find someone else to love." Her face wasn't sad anymore, but a little serene.

"That's true. I'm sure I'll feel that way when I'm in love with that other girl. But you know what else I'm happy about?"

"What is it?" She asked with a bright smile.

"I may have felt bad when you said that you didn't love me the same way, but it would've hurt ten times worse if you'd said that you did love me and didn't mean it. Thank you for not doing that."

Tohru giggled a little. "No problem! I knew it wouldn't be very nice if I did that, so I decided to tell the truth."

"Now that is the Tohru I know." I looked up into her eyes and suddenly-

POOF!

-I transformed back.

"Aaahh!" Tohru squealed and flew on her bed, face in the pillow. "I-I didn't see anything, honest!" Her voice was muffled, so I almost couldn't understand what she said. Fortunately, I already knew what it was.

"I'm sorry about this," I apologized as I got dressed.

"You can't help it. It's the curse's fault," she mumbled from the pillow. Even though her voice wasn't clear, I could still hear the sincerity and genuineness in it.

"How is it that we met such an understanding girl?" I asked as I finished buttoning my shirt.

Tohru looked up- as if sensing I was dressed- with a puzzled face. "What do you mean?"

"You never blame us for anything and you always seem to know what to say to make us feel better about ourselves."

"Oh! I had no idea…" She started slowly and trailed off.

"Yuki! Could you get us something from your garden out back?" Shigure sang, interrupting mine and Tohru's talk.

I sighed before answering his call. "I'll be right down!" I turned back to Tohru. "I'm sorry, Tohru." I rolled my eyes at the thought of my older cousin.

"It's okay! I'll get dinner started."

"Is there anything specific you'd like to put in our dinner?" I asked and thought about suggesting leeks because I knew Kyo hated them, but I decided against it.

"Um…" She seemed to be deep in thought. It didn't take her long to make up her mind, though. "How about onions or bean sprouts?"

"Hm… I think you're just in luck. The bean sprouts are ready for harvest."

"Ooh! Goodie!" She exclaimed excitedly and clapped her hands once.

I chuckled and turned to leave. "I'll see you downstairs!"

It took possibly five minutes to get downstairs and to my 'base'. I located the bean sprouts- at the moment forgetting where I'd planted them- and picked out two, hoping it would be enough. When, I got into the kitchen, Tohru was already there and boiling a pot of water.

"Oh, Yuki! Just in time." Tohru started putting noodles in the water and stirring them a little, then started chopping up some carrots. I thought that carrots and noodles together would taste a little odd, but I trusted her.

"Are there enough sprouts? I got two." I showed them to her and she politely accepted them with a smile.

"Yes, plenty!"

Kyo entered the room at that moment and stared at me for second. I stared back at him and quirked a small smile. He was visibly taken aback and frowned.

"Why are you smiling?" He asked cautiously, putting up his guard.

"I'll tell you later?" I queried.

Kyo sighed and slowly put his arms down. "Fine."

"Kyo? Could you get the salmon out of the fridge?" Tohru asked.

"Sure!" Kyo answered... happily. He got the fish, as asked for, and handed it to her gently.

"Thank you!"

"No problem," he replied huskily and smiled warmly at her. She returned the smile with a dark blush. I was sure of it now.

"Is there anything else you need us to do Tohru?" I asked softly.

"Nope! Go ahead and watch TV if you like. Dinner should be ready in about fifteen minutes."

Kyo and I nodded to her and took her suggestion to watch TV. We were only five minutes into the show that we weren't really watching when Kyo spoke.

"Uh... There was something you wanted to tell me, right?" His tone made him sound like he didn't trust me.

"Yes, you wanted to know why I was smiling at you before."

"Why were you?" He was using the same tone.

"Because I know something that you don't," I answered mysteriously.

"What's that?" The tone remained.

"Well, I was talking to Shigure earlier about Tohru not speaking to us and, believe it or not, he actually gave me some good advice."

Kyo's eyes widened and his eyebrow shot up. "That bastard gave you good advice?" He asked incredulously.

"He did. And it was something we really should've figured out to do a long time ago."

"What was it?" Now, he looked a little curious and his tone wasn't as strongly used. The hooked eyebrow went down and his eyes returned to normal size.

"He said that we should talk to Tohru about her not speaking to us," I answered simply.

"What?! That's it?"

"Don't we feel like idiots," I mused. "And you know... I took that advice to talk to her and everything's fine; worked out."

"Really? Just like that?" Kyo seemed to be relieved, but he looked confused.

"She said that she was sorry for not talking to us; said that she was startled by my protectiveness and you're gentleness towards her and she didn't know how to handle it."

He looked like he wanted to say something, but started thinking first. "She's not used to us doing that for her."

"She never got into trouble like that before."

There was a long pause between us. All we could hear was the TV and small noises coming from the kitchen, mixed with Tohru's humming. I was the first to break the silence.

"I have a... confession," I said, slightly nervous.

Kyo looked up at me expectantly. "Huh?"

I started slowly. "When I was talking to Tohru... I accidentally told her that I was in love with her," I finished quickly.

Kyo's expression remained on his face for a while and turned angry. "You what?! How do you let something like that slip?!"

"I don't know! Calm down. I was caught in the moment!" My nerves had settled down now.

"What the hell kind of conversation were you having?" He asked as he started to calm down.

"We were talking about the curse and how you and I fight all the time."

"Oh."

"She really doesn't like it when we fight and..." I trailed off, not sure if I should tell him what she said.

"What'd she say, dammit?" He banged his fist on the floor.

I was just about to tell him when Tohru walked in and told us that dinner was ready.

End of Chapter 4

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A/N: THAT'S RIGHT! A cliff-hanger! MUWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHH!!! Hee hee! XD

Please review respectfully with constructive criticism! It's very much appreciated! Thank you all! 3


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: What's up people? ^^

R&R please!

* * *

Chapter 5

After dinner, Shigure went back to his office while Tohru, Kyo, and I stayed in the living room. We talked for an hour or two until Tohru decided that she was going to go take her bath. Kyo and I waited until we were sure she was out of earshot to restart our conversation from at least an hour and a half ago.

"She said that she doesn't like it when we fight and she wishes that you wouldn't blame me for what the rat in the story did to the cat," I explained slowly.

"What?" He sputtered flatly.

"Well, she basically said that we really have nothing to do with the legend since the spirits of those animals are only possessing our bodies."

"Did she really say all this?" Kyo asked doubtfully.

"Yes." I rolled my eyes at him.

"So then, what else did she say?" He asked a little solemnly.

"That you and I could get along in spite of legend. She wishes that you could just be mad at the rat from the legend instead of taking it out on me."

Kyo started to respond, but decided to let it go and dropped his head.

"To be honest, Kyo… I do want us to be friends." He shot his head up in alarm that I'd actually admit something like that. "For one thing, I know Tohru would love it if we got along. And I'm really getting tired of arguing with you all the time."

"Hm. I'm gonna need to think about this."

"Fine. I'm going to be in my room." I got up and started walking towards the hallway when Kyo stopped me.

"Hang on a sec! What did she end up answering to your 'love confession'?"

"You don't need to worry about that. She said that she loves me too, but not in the same way. Her love for me is that of a close friend or relative. You've still got a really good chance with her. I assume it's a better one than I had."

"What makes you so sure about that?" He smirked.

"I've seen you two together," I answered simply.

Kyo shook his head. "That's not a good enough reason, you stupid rat!" I could hear a hint of a chuckle in his voice.

"I'm sorry that I don't have all the information," I replied jokingly. "Are you going to tell her anytime soon?"

"About what?" Was he serious? He really didn't know what I was talking about?

"Don't play dumb with me. You know very well what I'm talking about. You have to tell her that you love her… and soon!"

"I know! I just can't do it. I mean, so much happened after she found out about my true form and we grew closer as the result. But I don't want that to be ruined. If I tell her how I feel and she doesn't at all feel the same way, our friendship could be-"

"Could be what, Kyo?" Tohru interrupted.

_Where did she come from? And how long has she been standing there? _I thought.

Kyo- who had jumped so hard that I thought he'd have a heart attack- turned slowly around and answered her. "Uh, um, oh, Tohru! Haha! We weren't talking about you!"

"Very subtle," I whispered sarcastically. Kyo gave me a sideways glare.

"What's… going on?" Tohru asked worriedly.

"Nothing!" Kyo shrieked nervously. "We were just talking about a girl we both know!"

"Oh. Who?"

"Dammit! Would you just quit scrutinizing me woman?!" Kyo screamed. As soon as he'd shut his mouth, he realized what he said and looked a little scared. "I-I-I, um, I didn't, uh!" Before we knew it, Kyo was out of the room and Tohru was still standing there in complete shock.

"Tohru?" I asked.

"Ky-Kyo… Why did he… he leave? Why did he-?" Before she finished her next question, she gasped at something she must've realized. "He hates me. That explains it. You were talking about me weren't you? About his feelings for me. And I thought we'd gotten closer. I thought he- But I- So… he really does hate me." She started crying and I rushed to her side to hopefully talk her down without giving too much away.

"No, Tohru, that's not true; you have it wrong! I know it makes sense at the moment, but once I explain it to you…" I bit my lip. "Listen, Kyo and I _were_ talking about you, but I promise he doesn't hate you."

"Are you sure?" She sobbed.

"Yes. If you talk to him now, he'll- hopefully- tell you the truth. And if he doesn't tell you tonight, then he'll tell you some other time. That's when you'll find out that he truly doesn't hate you."

"Why can't you tell me what it is?" She sniffled.

Who would've thought that _she'd_ actually put me on the spot.

"Kyo wouldn't be happy with me if I told you in his place."

"Oh. So should I go talk to him?"

"Definitely. And I think you know better than anyone else in this house where he is."

She smiled weakly. "Yes, I do."

"So… What are you doing still standing here, talking to me?" I urged gently.

"Right!" She giggled and skipped out of the room.

"She's so adorable when she's clueless!" I quietly thought aloud and snuck out the other way to eavesdrop on them.

As I was running around the house to find the ladder, I heard Kyo's voice from the roof. I finally found the ladder and climbed up halfway just to hear everything.

"You want to talk to me?" He sounded bewildered.

"Y-yes. I just wanted to know… Why did you run out of there like that?" She asked softly.

He didn't answer and all I could hear were crickets chirping. Tohru broke the silence.

"Yuki told me that you two were talking about me. Could you… please? Tell me."

"Uh… I can't just… The thing I have to say… It's not really something that's easy to blurt out."

"Why not?"

"Well… 'Cause… I… I have a… feeling about you," he explained slowly.

"Wh-what kind of feeling?" She sounded like she wanted to cry.

"Gah! Please, don't cry Tohru!" He panicked. I could almost see his cat ears popping up.

"Is this feeling… of hatred?" She sobbed.

"NO! I swear it's not! It's the complete opposite!" Everything went quiet again. I heard a small 'huh?' coming from Tohru and Kyo spoke. "I… The reason why… The reason why I ran out of the room is because I thought you'd heard too much and I was afraid of letting it slip out when you were asking what we were talking about. I guess this spot is as good as any to tell you." He paused briefly to- I'm assuming- get the words right. This was the moment he would tell her. "Tohru, I know we've only been friends for three years now, but I feel like I've known you longer. And I regret the amount of time it took for me to finally accept you as a member of this household.

"Even when I tried to push you away, you were successful in trying to understand me. You were the only person who admitted she was scared of me when my true self was shown and you still accepted me. I'm happier now because of you. I don't feel like I have to hide anymore. That's why I want to tell you that… I l-"

"Tohru! Yuki! Kyo! We have a visitor!" Shigure sang.

_Damn! He stepped on their moment! How will Kyo tell her now?_

I climbed down the ladder as fast as I could and made a break for the direction of my secret base. From the distance, I saw Tohru and Kyo climbing off the ladder, so I pretended that I was just coming back from gardening.

"Tohru, Kyo!" I called. "Did I just hear Shigure say we have visitors?" I asked as nonchalantly and innocently as possible.

"Yes, he did!" Tohru answered brightly. Kyo, on the other hand, looked pissed off that he didn't get to tell her. "Did you just come from your secret base?"

"Um, yeah I did actually." I rubbed the back of my head nervously.

"Hm…" She inspected me carefully. "But you don't look dirty."

I could've taken the time to roll on the ground or do something to make it look like I'd been gardening this whole time, but it's not like I'm an evil mastermind. "Right! Let's go see who's here!" I felt a little guilty playing 'Tohru' like that; using her own head against her. I mentally kicked myself for it.

She gave me an odd look and decided to smile. "Yeah!" She agreed.

Kyo sluggishly followed us in; his hands behind his head and elbows in the air. As soon as we reached the living room, a flash of green flew past us and Kyo was gone in an instant.

"Wha-what was that?" Tohru asked.

"I think the question is more like 'who' rather than 'what'. It was Kagura," I answered exasperatedly. _Did she know that Kyo was about to confess to Tohru?_ I wondered.

"Oh, Kagura!" Tohru exclaimed happily. "I haven't seen her in a while. I'll go make some tea for us all." She walked into the kitchen and I followed her.

"Do you need any help?"

"Nope! Just relax," she said. I went to the living room and found Kyo being held down by- sure enough- Kagura. "Hello, Kagura," I greeted.

She was in front of me in an instant. "Hi, Yuki! Where's Tohru?" She asked excitedly. Kyo was left on the floor in agonizing pain.

"She's in the kitchen making tea. Would you like me to get her for you?"

"No, that's okay! I'll go help her!" With that, she took off.

"Ow!" Kyo whined as he stiffly sat up.

"Is it any worse than usual?" I asked sarcastically.

"Shut up."

"Why, you seem upset," I said, faking innocence. "Didn't you talk to Tohru?"

He was silent. "Damn dog… Kagura…" He growled. "I was so close."

"So close to what, Kyo?" Kagura sang. _How do Tohru and Kagura keep sneaking up on us like that?_ I thought.

"Dammit Kagura! Can't you see we're having a private conversation?!" Kyo barked. It's ironic how he's the Cat, yet he's barking at her.

"I'm sorry, Kyo," she whispered. "But I… I JUST WANTED TO KNOW WHAT YOU WERE TALKING ABOUT! IS THAT SO MUCH TO ASK?!" And… she snapped. Poor Kyo was in Kagura's deadly vice hold.

"OW! OW! OW! Damn that hurts!" Tohru came in with the tea at that moment.

"What's going on?" She asked worriedly.

"Oh, Tohru, you have the tea ready!" Kagura exclaimed as she let go of Kyo.

"Y-yeah… Is Kyo okay?" She looked around Kagura at him.

Kagura turned around to look at him as well and gasped. "Oh Kyo! I'm so sorry! How badly did I hurt you?" She asked as she knelt down beside him and held him. He was a little too shaken up to answer.

I looked at Tohru and noticed her looking… scared. "Tohru? Are you alright?" I asked quietly.

Her head was hanging down and her bangs were hiding her eyes. "I-I'm fi-" She choked on the words. "I, um…" She ran out of the room right then.

"Tohru!" I exclaimed.

Kyo and Kagura looked up from their 'loving embrace'. I ran after Tohru and found her at the top of the stairs. I sat down next to her.

"May I sit here?" I asked her softly.

She nodded her head.

"What's wrong?"

"I… just got this really… mean feeling."

"A… mean feeling?" I repeated.

"Mm-hm."

"What kind of mean feeling?"

"A horrible one. I started getting jealous. How could I be so terrible a person to have these feelings with Kagura here?" She started crying.

"Hm? Tohru… I'm afraid I don't understand what you're talking about."

She sighed. "I… I think I'm… in love with Kyo."

I was a little shocked. I'd thought she did, but I just couldn't believe it was true. "I… see."

"See what, Yuki?" Tohru and I stiffened at the sound of Kagura's voice.

"Kagura!" We exclaimed. I blushed at our synchronization and Tohru smiled slightly.

"Hey, Tohru? Why do you have tears in your eyes?" Kagura asked in concern.

"Huh?!" Tohru started frantically wiping her eyes.

I saw a look in Kagura's eyes and got the feeling she'd heard too much. "Yuki, would you mind excusing me and Tohru for a bit? I want to cheer her up."

"Uh… sure." I walked back downstairs and as soon as Kagura was sitting in the spot I'd been sitting in, I clung to the wall to hear everything.

"I heard what you two were talking about," Kagura said bluntly.

"I'm-" sniff "-sorry. I didn't mean for it to happen," Tohru sobbed.

There was a pause and Kagura finally spoke. "It's not your fault," she said slowly. "Falling in love is a part of life and you never get to choose who you fall in love with." _Why does that sound so familiar?_ I thought ironically. "But… I don't blame you for loving Kyo. That just means you have good taste." Is she crazy? "Are you going to tell him?"

"What? I can't do that! You two are a couple! It would be wrong!"

Kagura laughed- surprisingly. "Tohru, if you haven't guessed, Kyo doesn't like me very much." _Ah, so she has noticed,_ I thought. "I love Kyo with all my heart, but the one thing I can't do is make him love me back. I've seen the way he looks at you and I wish he would look at me that way too. I'm sad to admit that he might be in love with _you_."

I heard Tohru squeak in shock. "No, I'm sure he's not. Maybe he really does love you, but he doesn't know how to show it." She's too modest.

"Ever since you came to live here, Tohru, Kyo's temper has slowly disintegrated. And he doesn't try to fight Yuki whenever he sees him anymore. Haru told me that you didn't believe him when he tried to tell you that you had everything to do with Yuki's change, but I'm positive that it's the same way with Kyo's transformation. Tohru, no matter how much you deny it, you've helped all of us get through our troubles. And for that, we're all very grateful to you."

It was quiet again. "I-I'm not sure what to say," Tohru said finally.

"You don't have to say anything." It was silent once again. I peeked around the corner of the wall and saw them hugging.

_Good,_ I thought. _There's nothing to worry about._ I headed into the living room where Kyo still was and sat next to him.

"What was wrong with Tohru? And what did you say to her? More importantly, did Kagura talk to her?" He spitballed.

I tried to follow his questions. "Um… It's best if I don't tell you, what I said will lead to what was wrong with her, and yes. Does that cover it?"

Kyo stared blankly at me. After a few seconds, he snapped out of it and frowned a little. "Why can't I know what's wrong?"

"You'll figure it out- hopefully- after you tell her."

"Huh?"

"Never mind. Just tell her soon."

"Well, it'll have to wait 'til tomorrow. I can't do it while _she's_ here."

"Um… I wasn't quite there for Tohru and Kagura's conversation." This caught Kyo's attention.

"What do you mean?"

"I overheard what they were talking about," I confessed. "There was something specific that Kagura said."

"Well, what'd she say?"

"She's actually noticed that you don't like her. Hard to believe isn't it?"

"Yeah, who knew?"

"She also told Tohru that she thinks you're in love with her."

"What?! She's noticed that too?" Kyo about had an aneurism.

"Well, Kyo, anyone can see it," I proclaimed. Then I muttered, "Except you and Tohru are only too blind to see secret feelings."

"What?"

"Nothing! I said absolutely nothing." I rested my chin in my hand.

"So… Do you think this means she won't be staying long?" He asked hopefully.

"Possibly."

"That means I'll be free! Should I tell Tohru then?" He questioned uncertainly.

"I thought you were waiting until tomorrow."

"I know, but I don't think I can hide these feelings anymore. If all you guys can tell, then she'll start figuring it out, especially since Kagura told her." What Kyo meant was: Tohru must not have believed Kagura, so when Tohru starts noticing how Kyo acts around her, she'll keep thinking back and put everything in place. "When should I tell her?"

"Well, you'll be going up to the roof after she leaves, right? Then, Tohru will follow you up after she and I have finished washing the dishes, since we haven't done that yet. Just tell her then."

"Hey, why are you helping me? I thought you loved Tohru too."

"And I still do. Three things are standing in my way and I can't push past them."

"What're those?"

"One, Tohru's already replied to my confession and thinks of me as nothing more than a close friend. Two, because I love her, I want her to be happy and if it's you that makes her happy, then I want help. And three, I was serious when I said that I wanted us to be friends. That would also make Tohru happy. So if I want us to be friends, I'm willing to help you out with any situation, no matter how stupid or dangerous it is; no matter if I get hurt in the end… I'll help you because I want us to be friends."

Kyo studied me carefully and sighed. "You damn rat-bastard. You really mean that, don't you?"

I shrugged. "Of course."

"You… You're stupid!" He… chuckled? I hadn't expected him to laugh. I was a bit taken aback. "Whatever. I could always whoop Haru's butt!" And to my surprise- and anyone else's by that matter- he agreed just like that.

"W-wow. I have to admit, I thought you would've been more stubborn about this."

"Nah, I had a little time to think about what you'd said before and it makes a lot of sense, to be honest. I can't believe how stupid I've been. And you were stupid too for going along with it."

"Alright, I concur. We were both stupid. Now, Tohru can be twenty times happier."

Kyo looked down and formed a small smile. "Yeah…" He said softly.

I stared blankly at him before smirking at the emotion he was showing. _Tohru really has softened us up, hasn't she?_ I contemplated.

The said brunette came skipping into the room with Kagura… giggling. Tohru was dressed and they were holding hands, looking really happy about something. And the next thing Kagura said would delay Kyo's plans for tonight.

"Yuki, Kyo, guess what!" She challenged.

"What?" We said in unison.

"Tohru and I are going shopping, so you have to find other things to do without her!"

"What?!" Again in unison.

"Yeah! We decided on it at the spur-of-the-moment," Tohru explained.

"Since we've never really hung out one-on-one, and I'm here now, we're going to go shopping!" Kagura enthused.

"This late at night?! With no guys to protect you?" Kyo scolded, mainly looking at Tohru.

"Well, Kagura's pretty tough. I'm sure we'll be fine," Tohru reasoned sweetly.

Kyo got in Tohru's face and peered into her eyes angrily. She looked a little scared, but she was blushing so hard, I thought her head would explode. "I'm coming too," he finally said. His voice was low and husky.

"B-but we'll be f-fine!" She stammered, waving her hands in protest. "I promise, we'll be back in two hours tops! Safe and sound!"

Kyo dropped his expression and hung his head, sighing. "You… You really… Just make sure you do come back… okay?" He asked softly as he looked into her eyes again, but with a serious and protective gaze.

Tohru smiled kindly and warmly. With a small blush on her face, she stood on her tip-toes and- to mine and Kyo's surprise- kissed him on the cheek. His whole face- including his neck and ears- turned dark red and he froze on the spot.

"Thank you for worrying and caring about me so much! You have no idea how happy it makes me!" She was smiling widely now and holding his hand. I couldn't help feel pure jealousy towards Kyo, but Tohru was in bliss. How much happier can one be?

"N-n-n-n-no p-p-problem!" He stuttered mindlessly. He was still frozen, but his blush had at least gone down.

I looked at Kagura and she looked at me. She gave a sad smile and motioned that she told Tohru to make Kyo blush. I nodded my head in recognition.

Pushing her emotion away, Kagura announced, "Okay, Tohru! Let's go!"

"Right!" As they ran out the door, Kagura yelled a "See ya boys!" and Tohru called out, "Bye Kyo! Bye Yuki!"

Kyo and I stood there in utter shock. Minutes had passed before we figured out what had just happened.

"We're gonna be bored, aren't we?" Kyo asked flatly.

"Yes. I don't think we've ever spent a night at home without Tohru."

Shigure came into the room and raised an eyebrow at us. "What's wrong with you two?"

"Kagura kidnapped Tohru to go shopping," we replied in perfect sync. The only trouble was that we sounded like a couple of robots.

His eyebrow arched higher. "What about dishes?"

"They left before Tohru could do them."

"I thought Kagura came over to hang out you guys."

"She decided to take Tohru out instead. Said they'd be back in two hours."

"So you mean to tell me that we're here all by ourselves with no "Tohru talk" to entertain us?" Shigure pressed as he began to whine.

Shigure hysterically ran around the room, repeating "What are we going to do?!" over and over again as Kyo looked like he wanted to break/kill something- namely Shigure. I on the other hand suggested that we play a game. They calmed down, but Kyo still looked angry. Probably because Kagura stole Tohru right out the door.

We played a game- I won while Shigure tried to cheat- and went our separate ways: Shigure retired to his office, Kyo locked himself in his room, and I visited my Secret Base. Without Tohru there, we were all pretty bored.

I never knew how boring it was when Tohru was gone.

End of Chapter 5

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A/N: Man, that was a long chapter! XD Tell me what ya thought!

Please review respectfully with constructive criticism! It's very much appreciated! Thank you all! ^-^


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